Colleton County Fire-Rescue hosted the second annual Lowcountry Fire and EMS Weekend Saturday and Sunday, November 1 and 2. Over 150 Firefighters, mostly from South Carolina and Georgia participated, however some participants traveled from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York to take or assist in the training. Both days were packed with training opportunities for Firefighters and EMTs/Paramedics. Some courses were designed to allow separate fire and EMS agencies to experience what each other’s jobs entail to improve the working relationship and on-scene operations. Local professionals conducted a variety of classes and many corporate sponsors made it possible to bring in some highly regarded instructors from around the country to provide specialized instruction. Classes were conducted at four locations in Colleton County. The Thunderbolt Career and Technology Center on Thunderbolt Drive served as the hub for the training sessions and most classroom instructions. Station 19’s training room, located across Thunderbolt Drive was also used. Most Hands On Training (H.O.T.) classes were conducted at the former Cast Alloy Foundry and Tommies Auto/Diesel facilities on Jefferies Highway.

Planning began last year following the 2013 training weekend and last week was a flurry of activity readying the props and preparing logistically for the influx of students and instructors.

A small army of support personnel kept things moving in the background providing instructors and students the ability to concentrate on teaching and learning. Over a dozen vendors set up displays of equipment to show their wares, which included Peirce Fire Apparatus, Emergency Decon Trailers, Fire and EMS Equipment, Emergency First Response Vehicles, Drones and Simulator manikins. Doors opened at 06:30 with the first H.O.T. classes beginning at 07:30 both days. SC DHEC EMS Director Rob Wronski conducted the Keynote address.

H.O.T. classes, which lasted all day, included:

·         Street Smart Engine Company Operations was conducted Saturday and Sunday by SAFE Firefighter.  Lead Instructor was Matt McDowell.

·         Truck Company Operations was conducted Saturday and Sunday and was taught each day by On Scene Training Associates. The Lead Instructor John “Bart” Simpson.

·         Rapid Intervention Team – Company Operations was conducted Saturday with a more advanced course offered Sunday. Midway Chief Jim Crawford served as Lead Instructor.

• Advanced Auto Extrication was a two day H.O.T. Class which covered a vast number of scenarios involving patient extrications, victim removal and vehicle stabilization. It was designed for Firefighters and EMT/Paramedics. Spartan  Fire Apparatus and Holmatro provided Rescue Tools for the event and Tommies Auto/Diesel provided a dozen cars and trucks. A mix of St Andrews PSD,  Charleston and Colleton instructors conducted the class.

One and half hour classroom instruction included:

·         On Scene with Green Smoke Showing taught by Oconee County Fire Chief Charlie King

·         Transitional Fire Attack by Hilton Head Battalion Chief Ben Waller

·         Bitten (Snake Bite Treatment) by Colleton County Firefighter-Paramedic Captain Brian Rowe

·         Medical Math by Colleton County Firefighter-Paramedic Tommy Keefer

·         Fire Scene Preservation and Basic Arson Detection by Colleton County Battalion Chief Dan Barb

·         Incident Command by City of Charleston Deputy Chief John Tippett

·         The Call that Scares Us All (Pediatric Care) by Dr. DeMarco (from Colleton Medical Center), Firefighter-Paramedic Tommy Keefer

·         The Worse Crisis Ever by Zane Brown

·         In Honor of the Charleston Nine; A Study of Change by Dr. David Griffin (CFD)  

·         Making Good Fire Instructors Better by Bill Hopson Ocean County (NJ) Fire Marshall

·         Keeping your Drill Ground Relevant by Bill Hopson Ocean County (NJ) Fire Marshall

·         Personnel Management by Saint Andrews Fire Chief Mark Schrade

·         Sick or Not Sick by SC Fire Academy Battalion Chief Tim Wojick

·         Everything you need to know about EMS Compliance by Arnold Alier Deputy Director of SC DHEC EMS

·         Farm Medicine, Farming Safety Kuhl Hose Fire Dept (PA) Fire Chief Don Erbin Jr.

·         Your Patient Had A What? by Tim Weaver, RN

·         If you are Not Enabling your people your are disabling them by Rob Wronski, Director of SC DHEC EMS

·         Clandestine Drug Lab Awareness, Lt. Ruben Carter and members of the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office

·         Finding Balance for Firefighters and EMS Personnel and their Families by Gerald Mishoe, Director of Lowcountry Firefighters Support Team

·         Too Hot to Handle Treating Contaminated Patients by Colleton County Deputy Fire Chief David Greene 

Air Methods/LifeNet of South Carolina prepared a meal each day so students could stay on site. Food was transported to the H.O.T. Class locations.

Sponsors included Holmatro Rescue Equipment, Safe Industries, Orafol, Tommies Auto and Diesel Repair, Colleton Medical Center, LifeNet of SC, Sully’s Photography, Tra-Fx Public Safety Supply, Honeywell First Responder Products, Gaumard Simulators, Scott Safety, Safety Components, Fireline Inc., Jones and Barlett Learning, Skyview Aerial Solutions, Task Force Tips, Crosstech, Poseidon Equipment, Globe Fire Gear,   Haix, and Target Solutions.

Vendors included Wally’s Fire & Safety, Spartan Fire Apparatus and Equipment, Tra-Fx, SkyView Aerial Solutions, Emergency One, Colleton Medical Center, Jones and Barlett, MES Fire Equipment,  Rhinehart Fire Services, South Carolina Firefighters Association, Carolina Fire rescue EMS Journal, Safe Industries, SC Fire Academy, LifeNet of SC, Carolina Gear Medix, Ink Farm Designs, Columbia Southern University, Target Solutions, Cross Tech, Rhinehart Fire Services, Select Custom Apparatus, Honeywell, Skyview Aerial Solutions, Safety Components, Wheeled Coach,  and Heape Bows.